CVSA Conducts Commercial Motor Vehicle Traffic Enforcement Training Video Shoot in Texas

By Kevin Andrews, Traffic Enforcement Specialist, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance

On June 5-8, CVSA staff traveled to Midlothian, Texas, to shoot video footage for an upcoming CVSA commercial motor vehicle (CMV) traffic enforcement training course. This course will assist non-motor-carrier safety assistance program (non-MCSAP) traffic enforcement personnel to better understand the importance of CMV traffic enforcement.

The video shoot was a success, with credit for the pre-trip preparations going to Ofc. Lincoln Sweeney of the Cedar Hill (Texas) Police Department and Ofc. Chris Vinson of the Midlothian (Texas) Police Department. A huge thanks goes out to BCB Transport LLC of Mansfield, Texas, for volunteering a tractortrailer and driver to support this project.

This training course will be produced in rollcall style training modules, providing officers with the convenience of completing the modules at their own pace and the flexibility of picking the training up where they left off. Each training module will be followed by a short knowledge check and a certificate. The first training module will be released in the fall on CVSA Learning, which may be accessed by logging in to the CVSA member portal at www.cvsa.org/memberportal. Future training modules will provide non-MCSAP officers with additional CMV training in other aspects of traffic enforcement.

These modules will cover the reasons why basic CMV traffic enforcement needs to be a partnership among all law enforcement agencies. They will introduce officers to additional factors to consider when conducting CMV traffic enforcement, including preparing for a stop and preparing proper documentation. Officers will learn about the increased danger these stops pose and the necessary safety precautions that must be taken. The goal of this training is to better prepare officers to conduct effective CMV traffic enforcement and give them the confidence to feel comfortable doing it.

CVSA multimedia team members Ken Albrecht and Terry Moore worked tirelessly with CVSA Roadside Inspection Specialist Jeremy Disbrow, CVSA Traffic Enforcement Specialist Kevin Andrews, Ofc. Sweeney, Ofc. Vinson and the BCB Transport truck driver to complete several video shoots, still photographs and drone footage during the two-day shoot.

The development of this training is made possible through grant funding provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration with a goal of reducing large truck and bus crashes by changing unsafe driving behaviors.